Blake Sabol

Blake Joseph Sabol (born January 7, 1998) is an American professional baseball catcher and outfielder for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2023.

Blake Sabol
Sabol with the Altoona Curve in 2022
San Francisco Giants – No. 2
Catcher / Outfielder
Born: (1998-01-07) January 7, 1998
Aliso Viejo, California, U.S.
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
MLB debut
March 30, 2023, for the San Francisco Giants
MLB statistics
(through April 6, 2023)
Batting average.222
Home runs1
Runs batted in1
Teams

Amateur career

Sabol was born in Aliso Viejo, California.[1] Sabol's brother, Stefan, played college baseball at the University of Oregon and in the New York Mets organization.[2]

Sabol attended Aliso Niguel High School in Aliso Viejo.[3] In high school he batted .338/.418/.498 with 11 home runs, 73 RBIs, and 43 stolen bases in 126 games.[4] He was named 2013 and 2014 All-Sea View League, and 2016 South Coast All-League. In 2013 he won a gold medal with the Team USA U15 National Team at the Pan Am Games, in 2015 Perfect Game USA rated him the No. 64 player in the nation in his class and seventh-best catcher, and Perfect Game named him a 2015 First Team Underclass All-American, and in 2016 Max Preps rated him the 23rd-best player in the nation for his class.[4]

The Cleveland Indians selected Sabol in the 33rd round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft, but he did not sign and instead enrolled at the University of Southern California to play college baseball.[5] In 2017, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and returned to the league in 2018 with the Chatham Anglers where he was named a league all-star after batting .340/.445/.573 in 103 at bats with seven home runs.[6][7][8][9] As a junior in 2019, he played in 55 games and batted .268/.346/.368 in 231 at bats with 37 runs, three home runs, and 22 RBIs.[6][10] In college on defense he played 70 games in left field, 55 games at catcher, and 12 in center field.[6]

Professional career

Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Sabol in the seventh round of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft.[11] He signed with the Pirates for a signing bonus of $247,500, and made his professional debut with the Low-A West Virginia Black Bears with whom he hit .245/.350/.351 in 208 at bats with two home runs and 22 RBIs over 57 games.[12][6][13] On defense, he played 20 games in right field, 13 in left field, and 8 in center field.[6]

He split the 2021 season between the Single-A Bradenton Marauders and the High-A Greensboro Grasshoppers, slashing .310/.406/.551 in 245 at bats with 13 home runs and 45 RBIs over 66 games.[14] Between the two teams, he played 28 games at catcher, 12 in left field, and two in right field.[6]

He opened the 2022 season with the Double-A Altoona Curve, and was promoted to the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians in late August.[15] Over 123 games between the two teams, he slashed .284/.363/.497 in 447 at bats with 74 runs, 26 doubles, 19 home runs, and 75 RBIs.[16] He was 5th in the Eastern League with five triples.[6] Between the two teams, he played 66 games at catcher, 34 at DH, and 21 in left field.[6] He played in the Arizona Fall League for the Surprise Saguaros after the season.[17]

San Francisco Giants

On December 7, 2022, Sabol was selected by the Cincinnati Reds with the fourth overall pick in the Major League phase of the 2022 Rule 5 draft.[18] He was then traded to the San Francisco Giants for cash considerations and a player to be named later.[19] The Giants will not be able to send him to the minor leagues in 2023 without offering him back to the Pirates.[20] On March 26, 2023, it was announced that Sabol made San Francisco's Opening Day roster.[21]

See also

References
  1. "Blake Sabol Stats, Fantasy & News". MiLB.com.
  2. "Outwork the opposition: The philosophy of USC catcher Blake Sabol". March 8, 2018.
  3. "High school baseball players to watch in 2016". Los Angeles Times. February 22, 2016.
  4. "Blake Sabol - Baseball". USC Athletics.
  5. "Indians 33rd Round Pick: CA Blake Sabol".
  6. "Blake Sabol Amateur, College, Minor & Fall Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  7. "#4 Blake Sabol". pointstreak.com. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  8. "2018 Cape Cod League Top Prospects 21–30".
  9. "#21 Blake Sabol". pointstreak.com. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  10. "Pirates sign six more draft picks; seven total under contract".
  11. "Pirates sign six players from 2019 Draft". MLB.com.
  12. "Blake Sabol - Stats - the Baseball Cube".
  13. "Black Bears Conversations: Blake Sabol". August 11, 2019.
  14. "Pirates prospects report: Blake Sabol is catching on in new role at Double A".
  15. "What we're hearing about Pirates prospects: Henry Davis, Matt Gorski and more".
  16. "Blake Sabol Stats, Fantasy & News".
  17. "The Arizona Fall League rosters are here -- and they're loaded". MLB.com.
  18. "2022 Rule 5 Draft Results". MLB Trade Rumors.
  19. "Giants trade for Blake Sabol, lose eight Double-A players in Rule 5 Draft". sports.yahoo.com.
  21. "Giants' Blake Sabol: Makes roster, could start opener". cbssports.com. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
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